Be a caretaker at Samish! Live and serve in one of the most spectacular places on earth! We are now recruiting for the Manager of Food Service position. Interested? For details, contact: Mark Chapman markatsamish@gmail.com, 360-420-6369.

Samish Island Campground Association Board votes to relocate proposed sport court. We heard loud and clear from those who were concerned that the proposed site would impose on the open and natural feel of the campground. After a thorough Board review of options, consensus formed around a placement to the southwest of the Christian Fellowship Centre. A $20,000 challenge grant has already been made to jump start funding. We need to raise an addition $50,000 by January 31 in order to break ground this spring. Send contributions to Dave Skoor, Samish Island Campground Association Treasurer samishcgdave@gmail.com, 425-446-0019.

Thank you for sharing!View a summary of the Strategic Planning Survey results. Over 100 event directors, cooks, participants and neighbors shared their ideas and feedback. This will be a valued source of data to inform the Samish Island Campground Association Board as we work towards a refreshed strategic plan to assure a strong future for Camp Samish.

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Women’s Christmas Breakfast in Vancouver

RSVP today.

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Community of Christ Career Networking

For those of you who are on LinkedIn or want to be (easy to join) we have set up a Canadian Community of Christ private LinkedIn group to assist in employment opportunities through our collective networking for and with one another. The group is called "Community of Christ Net Connect." Search for it on LinkedIn and request membership.

Many Young Adults and others are unemployed, under-employed, going through career changes, health changes, re-locations, or other challenges. We can be part of the answer in their lives.

We have the capacity to make a difference through our mutual networking together. The full capability of this group is just beginning to unfold. Join us and we will create a new model of interaction that will bless us all.

Thanks.

Kerry Richards, Director of Mission

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Looming Financial Concern: Part 2

Many workers are facing serious challenges financially when preparing for retirement, as discussed in Part 1. The onus is more on the workers than ever before to provide a financially viable retirement scenario for themselves. How then, can workers effectively prepare for retirement knowing: 1) Government benefits are and can be changed at any time. 2) Company pension plans, if in existence, are becoming less generous than before. 3) Ongoing living costs makes saving for many workers very difficult.

First, government pensions, Social Security, Canada Pension Plan and Old Age Security on their own, were never intended to provide a luxury retirement for anyone. Consider these pensions as your base level of income during retirement, with additional income required from other sources for more than a meager existence.

THE KEY to government benefits is to ASK for the benefits. YOU must also apply to the government for these benefits to start. But also ASK, what else is available and how do I apply to get the additional benefits? People can miss out on benefits they are entitled to because they do not ASK, what is available or understand how to apply. Keep ASKING until you are satisfied. Phone the government on different days and speak to different government workers. You might be pleasantly surprised with the different answers you receive. While the government employees do their best to stay current with ongoing benefits, inadvertently some information can be forgotten or missed. So ASK and ASK again keeping in mind, as my Grandma Walker use to say, “a closed mouth gets you nowhere!”

Government benefits are in place for a reason, so do not miss out by default. Should you need additional assistance, ask a trusted professional to assist with the ASK or to help with completing the paperwork. After all it is in your best interest financially and that of your family.

Secondly, utilize company pensions to the greatest extent possible. It is imperative for you to join whatever type of company pension arrangement available. Just by contributing the minimum dollars or percentages allowed, you will benefit in the long run. Your contributions to these plans can increase over time as your income increases.

It is reasonable for workers to ask their employer to implement a Group RSP or Group IRA. This can also benefit the business itself, as it may attract skilled workers or lower staff turnover, which can reduce training costs and increase company profits. These types of plans can be relatively inexpensive to operate and add to the overall corporate climate of the company.

Before we leave the company pension scenarios, I want to mention, I am aware of the “GOLD PLATED COMPANY PENSION” arrangements which exist. This article was never intended to discuss those particular pensions. The “Gold Plated Pensions” are a highly sensitive issue and can be considered and discussed elsewhere.

Thirdly, personalized registered retirement investment vehicles, depending on your country of residence, such as; Roth IRA’s, IRA’s, TFSA and RRSP’s, can provide tremendous financial resources for retirement. The key is to begin investing in these plans early in your working career. These are individualized registered plans which can be complimentary to any company arrangement. The key is to maximize your contributions to these plans based on maximum allowable contributions set out in the Income Tax Act or what your personal family budget will allow. By following sound investment principals for funds within these plans, the opportunity for growth and income from your investment selection is extremely, good over the long term.

The final component for building a sound financial retirement foundation, is you own personal, nonregistered investments. These nonregistered investments are OUTSIDE OF your IRA, RSP, Roth IRA and TFSA. The personal nonregistered investments can consist of a portfolio of stocks, bonds, mutual funds, property (land, houses, cottages, rentals) etc. I am NOT recommending any one of these in particular as it depends on your own risk tolerance, knowledge level and personal comfort. Any one or combination of these investment possibilities could make the difference between a comfortable or meager retirement.

A real concern with any of these investments, are how you manage them. Regular contributions, knowledgeable investing and length of time the investment has to grow, are all critical to your success. With planning and the proper mindset, many people can do extremely well in their personal investments.

Clearly, having a corporate pension arrangement is just one corner stone to the overall retirement plan. Without a corporate plan available, workers must be more diligent in funding their own retirement plans and managing their own finances. This puts more stress on the workers of today. With more awareness of the retirement situation overall, assistance from financial professionals and a plan in place, hopefully more people will be financially secure in the future.

About This Blog

The CWM Weekly Ann­ounce­ment blog keeps you up to date with what is happening in the Canada West Mission. It is usually published every Thursday – enter your email below to automatically receive every new post in your email inbox.